Friday, May 23, 2008

Carolyn Adair is living the dream. American, but Italian by ancestry, Carolyn bought a farm in Tuscany in 1997. Many long hours of working the land under the Tuscan sun has brought to fruition her personal olive oil business. Her promotional materials tell her tale:

The olive grove, 20 miles south of Florence up the valley of the Arno, was purchased in 1997. These ancient trees were abandoned so we cleaned, pruned, fed and picked and after three years of care they were back into production.

Along with other farmers on our hillside, we take freshly picked olives to the frantoio (processing plant) nearby to make oil. The olives are cleaned and milled and pressed. The oil is then filtered, bottled, sealed and labeled and shipped to me.

Since I am farmer, picker, pruner, labeler, importer and marketer, I know this oil has been properly grown, processed and handled. This oil, which is a labor of love, was grown and produced with the help of some good Italian amici (friends). it is completely free of chemicals, insecticides, preservatives and any filler oils from outside the region. It is simply 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, estate grown and bottled in Tuscany.

Ok. So the oil isn't really local, but she is (she lives just down the street from a friend of mine) and I love her story. I love that she worked for three years to bring her dream to life and now she's living that dream. The oil is more than I'm used to paying ($22 a bottle) but having heard all about her from friends, I was excited to finally meet her (she usually sells at Wednesday's market) and enthusiastic about purchasing a bottle. (Well, I'm also looking forward to dipping some of my homemade bread in that oil. What a treat that will be!)

Unfortunately for us, though lucky for her, she has already flown to Italy for the summer, but if anyone is interested, you can order from her website, pick some up at the Farm Patch, or watch for her return and talk to her yourself. She was a delightful woman and I'm looking forward to speaking with her again. I'll bet she has some amazing adventures to tell!